But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee. Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

Job (12:7-8)

Ever since this Journey started, I’ve been conscious of the guidance of my spirit guides and animals. I wanted to dedicate one post to them…as you will hear about their presence throughout the journey.

The Spirit Animal’s appearance signals a time to connect with your true Self and your life’s purpose.  You should pay attention to the repeated appearance of this animal and of repeated patterns or themes.  Awakening to the recognition of these seemingly synchronistic occurrences teaches you to be aware of the hidden messages in everyday experiences.  

I’ve always known about the Husky/Wolf Guide. Another spiritual medium had told me a long time ago, that she sensed him always in my presence. I’ve also had a fondness for the actual animal and had come to accept that he is there to guide and protect me.

Before departing on my journey, I had uploaded an image of the Wolf on my phone…more for comfort and reassurance than anything else. I know he comes to me during times of restlessness.

I had stopped at a Rest Area to get a quick nap. I had a troubling dream and woke up with a start. I sat up, and there sitting outside my van, was a Husky…just looking at me. Her dad was trying to get her to potty so he could continue his journey. I eventually woke up enough to get out of the van and go to the restroom. On my way over there, I stopped and asked about her. He said she was twelve years old but didn’t realize she was old and acts like she’s three. I wished them both well and we parted.

I was just glad to have seen a Husky on my trip and really didn’t think much of it…till I saw them again later that day at another rest stop. At which point I simply smiled and concluded I was on the right path.

The wolf offers some of the most striking animal meanings in the realm of spirit animals. The power of the wolf brings forth instinct, intelligence, appetite for freedom, and awareness of the importance of social connections. This animal can also symbolize fear of being threatened and lack of trust. When the wolf shows up in your life, pay attention to what your intuition is telling you.

The Rabbit…

The rabbits started appearing since my first visit to The Light Center in Black Mountain. When I drove up that first day, there was a rabbit to greet me at the entrance.

I thought “Oh how cute” …He stayed within close range and I figured he was used to having cars and people around.

The second one appeared on the morning I was leaving Johns Island for my trip. By his size, I thought he was a hare. I was surprised to see him as I’ve never seen a hare, let alone a wild rabbit on the island.

The third appeared in Pennsylvania. He was also waiting for me at the entrance to my guest room. At this point, it was beginning to dawn on me that he was guiding my way.

My next stop was at a friend’s house in Weaverville. She was telling me about a hill that was recently cleared of its trees…and that all of the rabbits moved down into the foothills of this spot…which the locals refer to as Rabbit Run.

The next day, two hopped up at entrance to The Mountain Light Sanctuary. I smiled and said thank you for confirming my path.

I was supposed to meet with the lady, J, who owned the 60 acres in Travelers Rest…but she wasn’t quite ready for my arrival. So I spent the next day in Hendersonville. During my exploration of downtown on that rainy morning, I stopped in the one open shop…I had not known that the shops opened at 10.30 or 11 am in downtown Hendersonville….so I had an hour of window shopping in the rain.  Anyhow, the one store that was open, had a Sri Yantra pendant in the window display. The owner and I eventually got into a conversation and she asked me about my visit and where I was heading. I told her Travelers Rest. She said, she didn’t know if I was into local food or not, but I should make it a point to visit the Swamp Rabbit Cafe. I smiled.

When I finally got the go-ahead to visit with J in Travelers Rest…I kept saying to myself, if I see a rabbit here I’ll know it’s meant to be. We walked up that mountain driveway…no rabbits. Got up to her main house, I turned around and there he was…sitting in all his glory. It was a concrete rabbit, sitting facing the house. J had an outdoor firepit area that had been overgrown with vines. She actually had six concrete rabbits surrounding the area.

On my way back to Charleston, I was relaying all of this to my good friend, B…who stopped me short and said her nickname as a child was Rabbit.

The Rabbit is a spirit animal that is extremely open to one on one communication and when approached as an equal it will show great wisdom and guidance.

The Hummingbird…

As you know, I’m from Trinidad…so seeing hummingbirds is one of those things I take for granted. So I wasn’t really aware of her presence until the very end at Travelers Rest and looking back…realized she had been trying to get my attention all along.

I don’t recall seeing a hummingbird at The Light Center (TLC). However, there was a bird of sorts…while I was at TLC, I took three photos (one of the rabbit, one of the building and one of the meditation room). When I left the meditation room, I was looking back at the photos and realized a fourth one had appeared. Please note, I had the phone in my hand the entire time and knew exactly when I took the photos. This fourth image had appeared in between two other images. I showed it to the lady volunteering that day, and she showed me the other images captured by other visitors over the years. Our first thought, was that of a bird…but I’m still not sure, but will post it here all the same.

The next one appeared outside T’s kitchen window while I was preparing dinner. T has a hummingbird feeder right outside this window…so again…I thought nothing of it…other than he was making a lot of noise.

The next was at The Mountain Light retreat. I had been sitting on the front deck making notes and waiting for my meeting with Michael, the owner. I was also distracted by the presence of another spirit guide at the time as well… But this little guy was brazen in getting my attention. He flew right up to me, within arms reach of my face. Twitting away, trying to get my attention. My thought here was “wow, he’s brave to come check me out this close. He must be used to having people around.” However,I did acknowledge his presence and he zipped away.

The next one was an image at the restaurant I was having lunch at in Waynesville. A Jamaican restaurant called One Love. Again…I was distracted by the presence of another spirit guide during this moment and brushed it off as mild pleasant surprise of reading about hummingbirds in Jamaica. You can see him just above the Bread Pudding I was having for dessert. (By the way, if you’re ever in Waynesville or Maggie Valley…make sure to stop in at One Love Jamaican Restaurant…they have the best authentic Caribbean food! )

The last one is the one that finally clued me in as to its quiet yet persistent presence. We were at Travelers Rest talking with J.
M had just finished channeling my spirit guides (read A Message From Beyond for details on this). And this little guy comes zipping up to us and hovers right above my shoulder. M asked me if he was one of my totem animals. I turned to look at him, smiled and that’s when all of his previous visits came flooding back to me. One of those “DUH” moments. He stayed long enough for us to admire him before he zipped off again.

The hummingbird spirit animal symbolizes the enjoyment of life and lightness of being. Those who have the hummingbird as a totem are invited to enjoy the sweetness of life, lift up negativity wherever it creeps in and express love more fully in their daily endeavors. This fascinating bird is capable of the most amazing feats despite its small size, such as traveling great distances or being able to fly backwards. By affinity with the hummingbird, those who have this bird as totem may be encouraged to develop their adaptability and resiliency while keeping a playful and optimistic outlook.

The Butterfly…

The butterfly is one of the most emblematic totem animals symbolizing personal transformation. If you see the butterfly as your totem or spirit animal, pay attention to the areas in your life or personality that are in need of profound change or transformation. Perhaps, this animal totem guides you to be sensitive to your personal cycles of expansion and growth, as well as the beauty of life’s continuous unfolding. An important message carried by the spirit of the butterfly is about the ability to go through important changes with grace and lightness.

Again…one of those creatures whose presence I took for granted. So while I thought nothing of their presence throughout this journey…it wasn’t until leaving The Mountain Light retreat that their presence made itself known.

Hundreds of butterflies literally lined my path the entire way down. The photos are of the butterflies at The Main Lodge. But they were all over the actual road (from the entrance of TML all the way down to the interstate exit) and I had to slow my van to a crawl as I tried my best not to crush them with the car tires. They refused to move 😦 I did apologize each time I thought I crushed one 😦 But they were still a site to behold.

Those were the spirit animal guides.

I also had three companions who helped along the way:

Arnold.

Arnold, as you know from my previous blog, was an English Setter that belonged to Ruth. We had been informed that in Arnold’s previous life, he was a French Infantry soldier who had died during a mustard gas attack. That he chose to come back in this life as a dog…because humans did not know how to live in their heart. And Arnold, was just that…he was Mr. Love. Arnold is also one of the main reasons Ruth pursues Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM).

Well…at this point, I was open to everything, all the synchronicities were pouring in from every direction. So when his name popped up, I couldn’t help but laugh. I had been in touch with M via phone. This was our first in depth conversation about the Travelers Rest property and its owner. We were on the phone for a good hour before M told me the owner’s name…J Arnold. I laughed and shared Arnold’s story with M.

Punkin.

As you know Punkin has been near and dear to me. Always my protector and remover of sorrow.

I had pulled into One Love and parked next to the only other car in the lot. The car was running, so I assumed a dog was in the car. Went in to the restaurant. there was one other couple there. I sat in the booth directly behind them. These booths have high backs…so you can’t see anyone in the other booths. A family comes in and the father stops at my booth to ask if it was my dog in the car. I said no, but the owners had left the car a/c on so it would be okay. He walked on past me to his booth and asked the server about it. She in turn asked the couple in front of me. They said yes it was their dog. The man behind me now pipes up and is asking where they got the dog. That he had a dog similar to it and was looking for another one. They responded South Carolina. At which point I chimed in and asked if they lived there…No they didn’t. (Please imagine a conversation where no one is seeing each other in an otherwise empty restaurant, speaking loudly enough for everyone else to hear and participate in the conversation). They said they had driven down to just outside of Greenville to get her. She was ten weeks old. The young couple had finished their meal and got up to leave. The young lady walked over to the gentleman to give him details on where he could get a dog like hers.  She then told him the dog’s name was Pumpkin because of her orange tan color. I could have choked on my curried goat at this point. I didn’t get to meet her…but glad she was there.

Zoe Princess…

Zoe Princess Pitbull belonged to Ruth and had since passed before I ever came into Ruth’s life. But Zoe had played such a significant role in Ruth’s life, that I felt as I had known her her entire life. Because I never physically met Zoe…her presence was the very last thing I would have ever expected in my journey. But it speaks volumes as to the purpose and final goal of this journey.

I was preparing for my meeting with Michael, the owner of The Mountain Light. My “room” was the Garden Suite, which is a canopied bed on the porch overlooking the Zen Garden. I was packing my bag, when a tan German Shepherd mix enters the Garden. I was immediately drawn to her presence…and at a distance, without my glasses, I mistook the lady at the end of the purple leash to be Ruth. Did one of those double takes and knowing Ruth wasn’t possibly here, realized it wasn’t her. Anyhow, they walked around in the Garden for bit and left. I made my way to the front deck to wait for Michael.

Sat down and directly behind me at the bottom of the slope, was the dog, waiting patiently for its owner to finish bathing. They left soon after that. They came back after a few minutes. And I don’t know what it was about the dog that kept grabbing my attention. I took her picture as a memento. So when the lady came up the stairs to go to the kitchen, I struck up conversation. Asked if the dog was male or female…Female she responded. And her name? Zoe Princess! I think my jaw dropped. The odds of meeting a dog named Zoe is very likely. The odds of meeting a Zoe Princess??? I got up, looked at her, said Thank you and I’m working on it. She looked at me, cocked her head and laid down to wait for her mom. Not the best of photos…but I actually took three photos of her and this was the “clearest” one I could get. Each of the photos, she’s shining just as brilliantly.

At Hendersonville, she popped up again.

I had been wandering around in the rain downtown Hendersonville waiting for the stores to open. There was one that had caught my eye and they didn’t open until 11am. I finally got in and this little tan chubby Pug comes bounding up to me with a purple toy in its mouth. I instinctively get on the floor to play with her. I asked the shop owner What’s her name? Zoe she responds. Zoe kept bounding back and forth between myself and a counter…which I eventually made my way to. And there was a pendant there marked Healer. It’s Aventurine and Amethyst combined. I immediately thought of Ruth and got it for her. I thanked Zoe and again told her I’m working on it.

Later that morning, my friend P sends an email to let me know Lenny Kravitz was on Live with Kelly & Michael  and was talking about his daughter…Zoe. P said “I suppose affirmations/signs are also coming through your friends now on your behalf!”

That’s it for now…a lot in in few days. But good to know all the same 🙂